The Ultimate 74th Hunger Games Alternate Ending
by all good usernames taken
Summary: What if Peeta unknowingly ate the poisonous nightlock berries? Would Katniss still win the Games? Or would an unlikely tribute be triumphant? Let's find out! This story start off when there are four tributes left in the Games: Katniss, Peeta, Foxface, and Cato. This is my first story, so please review! Don't be too hard on me if a beloved character dies! T for violence swears.
1. Chapter 1

_What if Peeta unknowingly ate the poisonous nightlock berries? Would Katniss still win the Games?_

_Imagine if a little change had been made in the story of the 74__th__ Hunger Games. Would Katniss and Peeta still win the Games?Or would an unlikely tribute be triumphant? Let's find out!_

Peeta's P.O.V.

Katniss, my stubborn but beautiful comrade. I want to tell her exactly how much I love her, but I can't. Not here, not now. The type of love I have for her is not the kind we can use to woo the capitol. The real love I have for her is less intense than the one that is shown to the audience. Anyways, my current state is too weak and petty to give an impression. I am not even sure if she really loves me. Maybe it is all an act. A way to charm sponsors. And everyone knows that sponsors equals food and water. Is that all I am to this fiery girl? Some bread rolls and a cup of water? Am I just using her, too? Deep inside, I know that one of the main reasons we put on the romance act real thick is that it means more sponsors. I don't have time to think right now, though. I must stay alert.

Katniss sent me off into the woods with strict instructions to find roots and bring them back to our campsite. As I trudge through the dense bed of ferns along the riverbank, I begin to get angry. What nerve that girl has to treat me like a child. While she's off hunting real animals, here I am, looking for parsley to flavor our stew! Despite my leg injury, I can still operate fine!

I reach inside my jacket and pull out one of three knives I had stolen from a sleeping Cove while I was still working with the Careers. Even Katniss doesn't know about them. I thought she wouldn't trust me if she saw me carrying the weapons of one of our dead enemies. These knives are clearly designed to kill more than small woodland animals. I flick the blade around in my hand and sigh. Would I ever get the chance to use the knives? We still have two extremely deadly enemies to face. That sneaky girl with flaming red hair is one of them. What was her name? I can't seem to remember, but Katniss called her "Foxface," which suits her well. There is something unnerving about her, the way she creeps around without making a sound. I spotted her once, while I was camouflaged beside the riverbank. She ran right past me, waded into the river, and disappeared into the trees on the far riverbank.

The second tribute we most likely will have to face is Cato, from District Two. I was in an alliance with him and the other Careers earlier in the Games. I have seen him kill. He is skilled, but half his power comes from the confidence he has. Watching him walking purposefully toward his next victim, raising his sword in a battle stance makes every tribute's will crumble. And he finds the most cruel ways to kill his prey. He cut the stomach of one girl in a criss-cross pattern, causing all her intestines to spill out. He broke both legs on one boy before decapitating him. Everyone he targeted he killed. Everyone except me. I know that he has an especially painful death planned out for me. I grip Clove's knife tighter.

Suddenly, I hear a stick snap in a nearby bush. I grip my knife like I had seen Cato do many times before and charge into the bush. I run straight through it and end up in a clearing beside the river. I calm down and turn around in time to see a rabbit run out of the previously mentioned bush and race off into the dark forest. I laugh in relief that I didn't need to face another tribute and lean against a tree.

My hand hangs wrist-deep in a berry bush beside the tree. I examine the berries. They are dark blue and round hanging in clusters. My mood brightens. I can collect these and bring them back to Katniss. I feel ashamed of thinking I was being hunted by Cato, and, even though she didn't see it happen, I still want to prove to her that I wasn't a fool. I taste-test one berry to see if they were sweet, and I was delighted by their sweet flavor. They left a fizzy feeling in my throat. Only a couple minutes after I start collecting berries do I start to realize something is wrong.

A sharp pain in my chest causes me to fall to the ground, coughing. I yell out, "Katniss! Katniss! Help!" I start to see red.

In a few moments, Katniss is by my side. She looks at the berries spilling out of my hand and cries out in anguish. Then she looks up at the sky.

"Please, send us the antidote for nightlock!" she yells. I know she is talking to our sponsors. "Please hurry if you want Peeta to live!" She looks down at me, tears in her eyes. "Peeta, what were you thinking? You should have told me before you ate any strange berries."

I feel myself getting weaker by the second. I feebly reach over and touch her hand. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I was foolish. Just in case I don't make it, I want to know that I love you."

Tears stream down her face, landing on my jacket. "Of course. I always knew you loved me. Don't worry. The antidote will get here in time." Her eyes tell a different story. I could take up to ten minutes for that little parachute to land here. I don't have that much time. I felt tired, so tired. I started to close my eyes.

"No, don't go, Peeta," wailed Katniss. "Stay with me!" She gripped my jacket and shook me. I tried to keep my eyes open, but I couldn't. I was slipping away from her, and I couldn't do anything about it.

Sudden movement behind Katniss made my eyes snap wide open again. It was Foxface! She walks slowly towards Katniss, knife in hand. I open my mouth to warn my beautiful comrade, but I seem to have lost my voice. My alarmed expression warns her of an attacker, but a few seconds too late. As Katniss's head turns, Foxface slices her throat. Katniss gasps and collapses on the ground, a halo of blood forming around her head. She turns to me and mouths the words: _Goodbye, boy with the bread. _Foxface makes one final stab in the center of Katniss's chest. Katniss's eyes roll back up into her head. Her cannon fires.

Foxface looks at me and laughs heartily, like killing us was a joke. Then she stops and leans in close to me.

"Thanks to you, I am still alive," she says, looking me straight in the eyes. "I would have eaten those poison berries if I hadn't seen what they did to you. Your pretty little girlfriend would still be alive." Tears well up in my eyes. "And you had a good chance of winning, too! You two made a perfect couple." She pretends to sob, drying imaginary tears. "I'm sure that somebody somewhere is crying for the would-haves, could-haves, and should-have of this dreadful situation, but it's a simple fact that romance doesn't last in this arena."

Just now, a silver parachute attached to a small white box lands on the ground a couple feet away. Foxface snatches it up, and examines it greedily. "Ooohhh! A package for me?" she says as she pops it open. She pulls out a glass vial with a red liquid inside. She stares at it for a few moments before a grin spreads across her face. "Oh, the antidote for that dreadful berry's poison!" She starts to get angry. "For you, of course! I have never gotten a package from a sponsor, not one! You and that archery whiz must have gotten dozens of packages, huh? You must have had it pretty good, getting baked ham right out of the oven for the past couple days. I have been starving, having a handful of dried fruit a day! Probably nobody, including my own mother and father is rooting for me! Do you know what it's like to be called a freak by your own parents? To not have anything to live for? You know what, I think I'm going to keep this pretty little bottle for myself." She stands up, putting the vial, my only hope for survival, back in the box, and puts the box in her backpack.

"Ta-ta, lover boy. I've got a Hunger Games to win!" she calls to me as she strides off into the woods.

The last thing I ever see is a flash of red hair disappear into the forest.


	2. Chapter 2: Seneca's Decision

Foxface's P.O.V.

As I set my backpack down on the bumpy gold floor of the Cornucopia, I am deep in thought. I am so close to winning these wretched Games! It seems like years have passed since the gong sounded to signal the start of the Hunger Games. My mood dampened when I remember the life I left when my name was picked in the District Five Reaping. My life was virtually meaningless then. I got good grades in school, but my mother called me a "little twit" for "showing off" my smarts "like a good-for-nothing pest." I still remember when my told me I was an ugly brat who would never succeed in life. I was six at the time. Then I was bullied at school for my long hair and freckles. I told my parents about it, and they laughed and called me a freak. I learned to live on my own at age eleven. I learned about which berries and roots were edible, and which were poisonous. I could climb the power line towers with ease. I could build a fire out of almost any material. I rarely slept over at my parent's shabby house. The last time I did was a week before the reaping. My mother and father told me that they hoped I got picked for the Hunger Games because they wanted to see me die. They got her wish. Here I am in the Hunger Games. But unfortunately, I won't be killed anytime soon. I took a bag of nightlock berries out of my backpack and smiled. When I get back to District Five, I am going to feed those monsters nightlock berries.

I was so wrapped up in thought that I almost forgot about Cato, my last opponent. I had always respected him in an odd way. His manner of killing someone like it was no big deal impressed me. I always thought that a fight between us would be a fair fight. We would be testing this theory soon in a fight to the death. My only problem is that Cato almost certainly has a large crowd of rich sponsors catering to his every need. Who knows what kind of fancy weapons he has? I can imagine him bearing down on me with a machine gun in hand, just like the Peacekeepers back home. I only have a small knife, still covered in Katniss's blood. I also have a metal pot I could use as a shield. A thought came to my head that made me slap my head in annoyance. I forgot to take Katniss and Peeta's weapons! I know Katniss only had her bow and arrows, which I was decent at, but Peeta must've had some weapon, a machete, a spear, or even a mace! Maybe if I had time later, I could stop by that clearing and salvage for weapons.

I drink the rest of my water bottle and stand up. I should gear up for the final fight. I put on a winter jacket I took from a boy's pack. I put on the night-vision sunglasses that were in the backpack I snagged during the Bloodbath. I empty out everything in my backpack except for a first aid kit, the metal pot/shield, and the antidote. Finally, I slip the pouch of nightlock berries in my pocket. I am ready. The sun had just set. All I need to do is wait until it was completely dark, so I could have an advantage over Cato with my night-vision glasses.

Meanwhile, in the Control Room

A man in a white suit typed a string of words into a large computer and a series of holographic images appeared above the machine. They were all pictures of hideous creatures, creatures that were all being caged in a laboratory beneath the arena.

"Pick any muttation, Mr. Crane," stammered the nervous man sitting at the computer. Seneca Crane, the Head Gamemaker, stared at the choices.

"Name each one and tell me what they do," said Seneca.

"The first image of the giant snake is the Rattler," the man told Seneca, "and it hypnotizes the tributes with the rattle at the end of it's tail. All those dogs in the next image are the Wolverine tributes. They are designed to have the same eyes and hair color of the dead tributes. The next image of the dark wolf is the Howler. It's howl will cause earthquakes. And the faceless hyenas in the last image are the Mimics. They will terrify the strongest of people, and if you get bitten by one, you get horrible hallucinations and start to go insane. When their victims are weakest, they will begin to mimic the voices of the tribute's family members." The man at the computer looked up at his boss expectantly. Seneca's brow furrowed.

"It's such a pity District Twelve is dead. I know their minds were very fragile and those Wolverines would have really pushed her over the edge. That Finch girl from 5 and that Brodell boy from 2 are too strong minded for that. I want you to send the Howler and the Mimics into the arena."

"Both of them, sir?" asked the assistant in disbelief.

"Of course," said Seneca smugly. "After all, we don't want to disappoint the audience, now do we?"


	3. Author's Note!

***Author's Note***

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** Hey, guys! Thanks for all the positive reviews! I realized that I forgot to clear something up about the story. Athenian Rose of War, one of my reviewers, brought something interesting to my attention. She told me that Foxface was in the Final Five, not in the Final Four. Good job on noticing that, but I'm sorry to say that my story takes place in the **_**book**_**, not the movie. In the movie, Thresh is killed by the mutts, but in the book, Thresh is killed by Cato before Foxface dies. Thank you for pointing that out to me, so I can avoid further confusion. **

** Also, I wanted to provide you guys some insight on the backpacks from the Feast. In my story, Foxface got a first aid kit in her pack, Cato and Clove's pack contained two sleeping bags, and Thresh's bag contained a canteen of water and the body armor suit. When Cato killed Thresh, he took Thresh's canteen and armor. But currently in the story, Cato is NOT wearing the armor, because he feels like he won't need it in a fight against Foxface.**

** Okay, if you have any questions on the story, please post it in the comments!**


	4. Chapter 3: Chuckle

Foxface's P.O.V.

Three hours later. I am still sitting in the Cornucopia, thinking. Where am I going to find Cato in this huge arena? I decide against venturing back to the nightlock clearing to gather weapons. I don't want to stumble upon Cato on my way there. Plus, if I wait long enough, I am sure the Capitol is going to create some way to bring us together, like the fire and the feast. Only this time they will not have mercy on us. Whatever they create will easily kill me if I am not careful.

I hear a low rumble. I jump up and hike my pack higher up on my shoulders. The rumble is coming from deeper inside the Cornucopia! I turn around just in time to see a portion of the floor near the back of the Cornucopia open up. I slowly back away. Bright light streams out of this rectangular pit. A figure jumps out of the hole and lands on the floor on all fours. It is some sort of huge beast. I don't stick around to find out more, though. I turn around and race out of the Cornucopia towards the woods. Only when I reach the edge of the clearing do I turn back to properly identify the creature. But surprisingly, I don't see it following me. In fact, I don't see it at _all_. Where did it go? I whirl my head around frantically, trying to spot this creature. I don't like surprises. Then I finally spotted the creature. It was slowly walking out of the Cornucopia. I stood there, confused. Why wasn't it following me? Then when it stepped out into the light of the full moon, I understood. It had no face.

This creature, clearly visible from where I stand, is the most hideous thing I had ever seen. It had a mouth full of sharp teeth, pulled back in a permanent smile. The rest of its face is wrinkly and baggy, clear of any fur. It still has the same contours of a normal face, like a lump where the snout should be and two hollows where the eyes should be, but it just makes the creature look more horrifying. The rest of it's body is covered in sleek brown fur. It is about 4 feet tall, not very big. It has thick, stubby legs, unsuitable for long-distance sprinting. I am confused. Am I supposed to battle this blind, fat dog? I have been standing in this spot for over a minute, just studying that creature.

I notice a green substance dripping from its front teeth. Definitely poison. As if it knows that I have discovered its secret, the beast turns its head towards the dark mouth of the Cornucopia and makes a sound that I can only describe as a high pitched laugh. It is a hyena. I learned about it in school back in District Five. On cue, seven other faceless hyenas step out into the moonlight, all slightly smaller than the first one, forming a V with the first hyena at the apex. They all began making that hideous laugh, hurting my ears. They sprint towards me. I turn and run.


	5. Chapter 4: Cato's Lair

Foxface's P.O.V.

I sprint swiftly through the forest, branches whipping at my face. My boots snap the twigs littering the forest floor. I glance to my right and to my horror, one of those hyenas is run alongside me, about ten feet away, barely visible through the trees I sprint past. It starts to run diagonally to the left, towards me. I follow its movements keeping my distance from it. I glance backwards to determine how close the other dogs are to me, then I take a sharp turn to the left to confuse the beasts. I hear the beasts claw at the underbrush to slow down, but I don't hear them following me. They lost my trail!

Something comes out of nowhere and jumps into my path. A hyena mutt! I am so shocked that I trip and fall forward, slamming my head on the hard trunk of a tree. I look up and see the hideous face of the hyena mutt a few feet away from me. I crawl backwards on my hands and legs and stand up shakily. The hyena isn't attacking me. Why? I decide that the question is better left unanswered and I start running away from it in the direction I was heading in the beginning. Soon enough, I hear the mutt spring to life and sprint after me. As I run, I hear hyena calls coming from every direction. I let out a fearful whimper and speed up.

One mutt jumps out at me on my right. I dive down, do a somersault, and jump back up to resume running. I realize why the muttations are acting like this: they are herding me towards Cato. That's why that mutt let me go instead of killing me when I was defenseless; they want to give Cato the honors of killing me. I continued to run, but I let the mutts direct me towards my final opponent.

I finally reach the edge of the forest. It seems that the trees stop abruptly and a large field of boulders and scattered tree clusters begins. I run into this field, the hyena mutts at my tail. They herd me towards the heart of the field and when I notice a fire ring filled with blackened branches and a large pile of gear, I stop. I have found Cato's hide out. I turn around and see that the mutts aren't chasing me anymore. They sat clustered together, each one letting out a little laugh once and a while. I step into the campsite nervously.

Maybe that boy wasn't all brawn and no brain after all. His camp is surrounded by a dozen tall boulders, fully concealing it, with the exception of a narrow path running between two of the boulders, the way I entered.

"Cato?" I call out fearfully. No answer. Huh. He must be out looking for me. I count four hyena mutts perched on the high boulders surrounding the camp. The other four mutts must be searching for him. I got the sudden thought that Cato will be arriving any minute, probably armed to the teeth. I decide I should go through his gear to find anything useful.

As I approach the gear pile, I am impressed by the sheer amount and quality of the gear. It occurs to me that he couldn't have collected all of this after the Girl on Fire blew up the food. He was hoarding all of the best weapons and supplies from the rest of the Careers. He must have been planning on killing them in their sleep to get rid of the strong tributes and keep the best equipment! Cato was fooling everybody!

I spotted two large black backpacks, one labeled with an 11, one with a 2. These are District 2 and 11 packs from the Feast. How did Cato get Thresh's pack? Cato must have been the one who defeated Thresh. Out of curiosity, I open 2's pack, and it has one sleeping bag. It matched the sleeping bag beside the fire. Was this one meant for Clove? Probably. I open Thresh's bag. A thin mesh body armor lies at the bottom. I contemplate putting it on, but one good inspection of the suit confirms that it is meant for Thresh's body, and it is at least five sizes too big. It would just slow me down. I close the packs and turn my attention back to the weapon stash.

I take one good look at the pile and determine that a lot of it is from sponsors, too. Where else would he have gotten a belt with 15 grenades on it, or a flamethrower? Not to mention a pair of climber's gloves that hold onto any surface and dozens of knives. I strip off my thick winter coat and drop it on the ground. It was just slowing me down anyways. I wrap the grenade belt around my waist and tighten it. I slip off my backpack and put on the flamethrower. I put on the climber gloves. And finally, I tuck a few knives in my belt. I use the flamethrower to set fire to the rest of his supplies, because I don't want him getting any more weapons. Now I am prepared to fight Cato. Just in time, too, because I hear the laughing of hyenas not too far away. I run out of his hideout and into the maze of boulders beyond.

Soon enough, I see a sweating Cato rounding a bend and running towards me. Some type of harpoon gun covers all of his lower right arm. A machete in a hilt hangs from his belt. A crossbow jostles around on his back. I'm going to have to be careful. My attention is taken off of Cato for a moment when I notice the large number of hyena mutts on his trail. There are about 15 mutts behind him. And it seems that they were a bit more aggressive to Cato, judging by the terror on his face. I waste no time in harming my opponent, though. I pull a grenade off my belt, and discreetly roll it across the sandy ground into his path. He didn't see me roll it. I duck behind a rock, waiting for the explosion. About five seconds before the grenade explodes, I see it roll out from behind the rock, resting at my feet. He kicked it towards me! I see him race past me into the camp entrance, the hyenas still at his tail. Not wasting any time, I scoop it up and hurl it over the boulder wall into his camp. It explodes, briefly lighting up the entire field. I don't hear a cannon fire, though.

I run towards the camp entrance, wanting to take advantage of this moment of weakness. I hear him cry out in pain from inside the camp. As I am nearing his hideout for the second time, something grabs me and throws me into the sand underfoot. I look up to see a hyena mutt grinning at me. Something's wrong. They are usually not aggressive. It chuckles and sticks its teeth into my leg.


	6. Chapter 5: Kill the Fox

**Hey, People! This is Cato's first P.O.V. in my story! I promise it won't be his last. Sorry this chapter is so short, but I'm going to make it up to you by introducing the Hunger Games facts! Have you ever wondered about other muttations and arenas? At the end of every chapter from now on, I will include a fact involving tribute stats, past muttations, and past arenas! They will be made up by me, not by Suzanne Collins! And just because I write something doesn't mean you have to go with it. I may say the the 25****th**** arena was one thing, but you can write your own stories that say it was a different way.**

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Cato's P.O.V.

As I lie in the hot sand, a colorful world swirls around me. The creamy white of the moon. The bright orange flames consuming my weapon collection. The greasy gray of the faceless monsters. The indigo of the night sky. I look down at my right leg. It is startlingly red. Why? I touch the red part and wince. Ow! It hurts there. There are bite marks around the wound. Could those monsters have bitten me? I look away from the red spot, and an strange thing enters my field of vision.

Dragging itself through the entrance to _my_ camp is a startlingly beautiful fox wearing a dark jacket and pants and wearing hiking boots. She appears to have the same leg injury as me. I watch her sympathetically, wanting to help. I watch as she drags herself towards a see-through canteen full of water lying in the sand across the camp. _My_ canteen. _My _water. I bare my teeth angrily. I grab the shiny metal machete from my belt and put it between my jaws. Then, using my arms, I pull myself towards that damn fox.

She whimpers in fear and drags herself faster towards the canteen, but it appears that I am in better condition than her, because I catch up to her in seconds. I reach up and pull the machete from my teeth. Then I ram it at the side of her chest. She notices me and rolls away onto her back before any serious damage is done. Still, my weapon grazes her, causing blood to spill from her right side. I laugh in triumph, even though my swing barely did any damage.

"Stupid fox, you are no match for me," I shout.

She reaches near her belt and pulls out a small knife. Luckily, by now I am five feet away from her. She can't stab me if her life depended on it. But what she does next surprises me. She pulls her arm back and then throws the knife. It hits me where my right arm connects to my chest. I feel something crack and a blood spurts out of the newly created wound like a fountain. I pull the knife out and rip a piece of my jacket off, then press it against my wound to stop the blood flow.

The fox attempts to use the wall to pull herself on her feet. I am too dazed for a few seconds to notice. The way she threw that knife. I have seen someone do that before. A girl. Not that fox, another girl. I can't remember her face, but I remember her words.

"Don't worry, were twice as skilled as the rest of those fools. We'll win for sure. Don't worry, silly," she said. My sight is blurred with tears. I can't remember much, but I know we were planning on getting out of this place and towards home. She is gone now. Who could have killed her? I remember how the fox threw the knives at me. That stupid beast must have killed my girl! She will pay!

The whimper of that wretched fox stirs me out of thought. I look up in surprise to see the fox climbing the side of the boulder. I put the machete in my jaws and tuck the knife in my jacket pocket and pull myself towards my prey.

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**Okay, time for Hunger Games Fact #1:**

**The use of muttations in the Hunger Games started in the 10****th**** Hunger Games. This Hunger Games was actually won by Mags, from District Four. The arena was a large swampy island with a murky lagoon, humid temperatures, and dead trees. When there were only four tributes left, the Gamemakers released a school of genetically-mutated piranhas into the water of the swamp. These fish attacked the oblivious tributes one by one, killing two, and severely injuring Mags. The other living tribute, a boy from District Two was unaware of the vicious muttations, so in the final battle, a swordfight along the edge of a small patch of land in the swamp, Mags backed the boy up into the shin-deep water. The piranhas dragged him deeper into the water and quickly ate the flesh off his bones. In no time, the cannon fired and Mags won.**


	7. Chapter 6: The White Wolf

**Hey, guys! Have you ever wanted to know what the other Quarter Quells would have been? Well for the first time ever, I present to you, my new story, "All of the Quarter Quell cards"! Check it out for a complete list of all the Quarter Quell rule changes!**

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Meanwhile, in the Control Room

Seneca leaned against the railing of the balcony above the bank of computers. He stared transfixed the large monitor, in fascination.

"What did that boy say? After he cut her with the machete?" the Head Gamemaker asked.

"Uh, he said, 'Stupid fox, you are no match for me!'" a young minor Gamemaker replied.

"And why did he call her a fox?"

"I-I don't know, sir," she stammered, ashamed that she didn't know the answer.

"I know why, Mr. Crane," called out a man in a white lab coat called out. "The head of the mutation labs, Mr. Moreau, told me that the poison of the Mimics works in three stages. The first stage is minor hallucinations. In the next stage, the poison stops affecting the victims, and they stop getting hallucinations. The final stage, when the poison reaches the victim's heart, is major hallucinations."

Seneca turned to an avox attendant standing quietly nearby, waiting for orders. "Fetch me Mr. Moreau," said Seneca.

Foxface's P.O.V.

I pull myself up onto the top of the boulder. I can see the entire camp and a good portion of the surrounding boulder field. I look down and see the mighty lion at my heels, trying to pull himself up. I spot the flamethrower I had abandoned oh so long ago near the entrance. I wish I had kept it with me. I really could use it right now.

The hideous beasts that were standing guard on the boulder tops before are now in a large circle around the boulder circle. They aren't looking towards the camp, though. They were all facing outwards towards the forest. Why? A chill ran through my body. They were looking for something. But what?

I got an answer when I heard the frantic laughs of several beasts. The monsters on one side of the ring scattered, running in fear towards the other side of the field. I squint in the direction the beasts ran from. For a few moments, there is nothing. Then a large figure steps out of the shadows. It is clear right from the start that this is a muttation, and a powerful one at that. It is easily eight feet tall. Unlike the other beasts, it has a face. It is a snow white wolf. It is beautiful, yet deadly, like the shine of a sharp knife. It jumps over tall boulders in a single leap. It takes its time. It lands on a rock slab only a short ten feet away from me. I suddenly don't feel so safe up on this wall.

I look down to check on the lion, and see that he is gone. He moved farther down the wall where the boulder was easier to climb. He was nearing the top a few feet away from me. I crawl farther down the wall, trying in vain to get away from the ferocious feline that clawed me a few moments ago. I turn back to the wolf just in time to see its head tilt toward the moon and for it to let out an earsplitting screech. The sound was so high-pitched and loud that at first I felt extreme pressure on my eardrums, then just extreme pain in my ears. I rip my climber gloves off the rock and press them to my ears. Then the rumbling started. I could feel it through the rock, getting stronger and stronger. That wolf's scream is causing this. I see a crack in the earth open up, sand spilling into it. The crack grows wider and splits off into different directions, one moving towards the boulder circle. Before the gap reaches it, however, the rumbles prove to much for me and I tumble forward into the field.

Unfortunately, I land on my back, bending it quite a bit. The rumbling hasn't stopped, so my hands are still clamped over my ears. I feel the ground giving way underneath my head so I sit up quickly and scoot forward. The crack in the ground disappears underneath the wall of boulders and with groan, one of them breaks away from the others and falls toward me. I leap away, but I am not fast enough. The boulder lands on my right ankle. I cry out in pain. I attempt to pull my foot out, but the pain is so intense that I see stars. I wrench the injured foot from underneath the rock, and I curl up in a ball. I fight to stay conscious, but the allure of sleep is too strong. I lay my head in the sand, and hope that the lion is as incapacitated as I am. I take one last blurry look at the screeching wolf and I plunge into unconsciousness.

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**Time for Hunger Games Fact #2:**

**This isn't the first time the Howler was in the Hunger Games. This powerful wolf was the cause of the earthquake that broke the dam in the 70****th**** Hunger Games, the year Annie Cresta won. In fact, Annie was one of the only three tributes in the 70****th**** Games to have seen it in action, right before it broke the dam.**

**Even the scientists in the Mutt Labs can't explain some of its odd behavior. Once it broke the dam, it went back to the closed hatch that he came out through, and it used its powers to rip the hatch open. It walked through it back to its cage and lied down for a rest. Unfortunately, water for the flood got through the broken hatch and into the lab, nearly submerging it completely in water.**


	8. Chapter 7: Who, where, why?

**Hey, all you sexy, sexy people! Sorry for the extra-short chapter, but I kinda want to stretch it out for a few extra days. I'm working on more Quarter Quells for my other story, too. So I'm a busy, busy man, but it's worth it at the end of the day when I see all of the positive responses.**

Foxface's P.O.V.

When I wake up, I feel dizzy. My ears are ringing. Where am I? I try to pull myself onto my feet, but I scream out in pain and drop to the ground again. One of my legs bears a deep, throbbing gash. The skin encircling it is a sickly pale-green. But that's not the worst part. Below the gash, my foot is a gnarled mass of bone and muscles. Both wounds are dry, but that doesn't help much. I decide to look around to find help. There must be someone nearby who can treat my wounds. I lift my head and gasp in shock at my surroundings.

Imagine that a field of scattered boulders is a jigsaw puzzle put together. What I see around me is that jigsaw puzzle pulled apart. I am lying on a particularly small one. It is like hundreds of tiny islands close together. And what is between these islands? I peek over the edge of mine. It is a dark and deep canyon. It is too far a jump to the nearest island. Not to mention I can't jump in the state I'm in. Fortunately, a boulder wedged in the crack acted as a bridge to a nearby island. I see smears of blood on the rock. Is that blood mine? Probably. I slide up onto the rock, careful not to go too close to the edges. When I get across, the first thing I do is survey my surroundings to pick a specific spot to head towards. I choose a large pile of boulders in the distance. The rest of the islands are fairly close, so I manage to pull myself across without any need of a boulder.

About halfway there, on a large island, I hear uncontrollable laughing coming from the edge. I crawl towards the sound as fast as I can, happy to hear a human again. I look over the edge, and to my horror, see a faceless creature emitting the human-like sound. It has been badly wounded. Only a few intestines connect his upper half to his lower half. He was neatly hacked open. This wound was inflicted by a sword of some kind. The hideous animal only has a few minutes to live.

"Poor thing," I murmur. "If only you can talk. You could tell me where the human went." The creature gasps and turns its head toward me, even though it didn't have any eyes.

"He went that way, doll," chuckled the beast, waving its paw toward the rock pile before going still. I scream.

"Where am I?! What am I doing here?! What is that beast?! _Who_ am I?! I just wanna go home!" I cry, tears running down my face.

My cry was answered only by the loud chuckles of more of those beasts in the distance. I cry into my jacket. I am alone.

**Hunger Games Fact #3:**

**The shortest Hunger Games on record was the 37****th**** Hunger Games. It lasted 31 hours and 21 minutes. The victor of this Hunger Games was Titania, a girl from District 1. The main reason that this Hunger Games was so short was the arena: a completely flat dirt plain. Another reason was that an unusually large amount of tributes were under the age of fifteen; there were nine thirteen and twelve year old's in total. This generally means that the tributes are easier to kill off. This year, though, the Career pack that usually forms did not form. It was the one year when no alliances were formed.**

**By the time the gong sounded, it seemed that all of the Careers made a mutual agreement not to come together. All of the other tributes did something very weird. Half of them just ran in the opposite direction of the Cornucopia. And the other half just stood on their metal plates knowing that they were going to die. They were killed in the first five minutes. The others who ran away from the Cornucopia soon found themselves at the edge of a cliff, similar to the edge of the 2****nd**** Quarter Quell. They were all killed within the next few hours. All except one, that is. A boy from District 12 had spotted a ledge five feet below the edge of the cliff and had climbed down and hid. He was one of the tributes who were thirteen. When twenty-two tributes had died, he left his hiding place to face his final opponent. She was about 500 yards away, and she ran at him, armed to the teeth. He stood at the edge and jumped away at the last second. She went over the edge, but she grabbed his jacket and he was pulled off the edge with her. She landed on the ledge, but he caught hold of it, holding onto the ledge with his his hands. Titania stomped on his hands, and he fell into the force-field. He was thrown backwards up onto the plain, and his heart stopped. He died soon afterward, and Titania was crowned victor.**


	9. Chapter 8: Just like Titus

Meanwhile, in the Control Room

On a large video monitor in the center of the room, a live broadcast of the District Five girl plays. All the Gamemakers stared nervously at the hysterical girl on screen calling for help.

"I don't...I-I don't know where I am," she screamed, choking on her sobs. "I don't even know my own name!"

Seneca Crane, Head Gamemaker, paced around the room angrily. He stopped in front of Josef Moreau, the head of the Muttation Lab Facility. Moreau stared up at his colleague with glassy, unblinking eyes. Being in such close proximity with the ferocious beasts had maimed him severely. He had gone under so much surgery that he was more plastic than flesh. Seneca slammed his clenched fists on Moreau's desk.

"Calm down, Mr. Crane. There is no need to pout," Moreau said coolly.

"Calm down?! Look at what you've caused!" Seneca waved his hand towards the still-wailing girl in the monitor. "Those hyenas' bites not only gave them hallucinations, but also wiped out their memories!" Seneca pointed at the girl again. "She doesn't know where she is! She doesn't even know her _own_ name! And even more concerning, she doesn't know why she is there! And do you know what that means, Mr. Moreau?" Seneca stared menacingly at the scientist.

"Enlighten me," replied the plastic man, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"I'll let you play dumb for now, Josef," growled Crane. He stood up straight. "This means that she is not aware of the Hunger Games. She doesn't know who Cato is, nor does she know that she has to kill him. Cato is probably in the same state."

"Actually, sir," interrupted an assistant Gamemaker who had been watching his own computer screen intently, "that isn't true."

"What?" hissed Seneca, looking at the young Gamemaker. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Look," said the assistant, typing a set of commands into his computer. The video of the weepy redheaded girl on the big monitor was replaced by the live video of an athletic blonde boy walking across the earthquake-struck field. He had blood on his hands. His left eye was twitching crazily and he was muttering and chuckling to himself.

"Cato," said Seneca.

"Precisely," said the assistant.

On the screen, Cato stops in his tracks, a blank expression on his face. He jerks his body to the left and fires the harpoon gun contraption into the distance. A yelp of a hyena mutt echoes across the plain. Slowly a hyena mutt attached to the end of the rope is pulled over the cracks and islands towards Cato. The hyena ends up at the feet of Cato. Cato kicks it again and again, a sick smile plastered across his face. He leans close to the dying mutt.

"You killed my sister!" Cato screams. He kicks it again, then he bursts out laughing. "Did you really think that you could hide from me? That you could escape from the consequences?" Cato digs his foot into the harpoon wound. "No one can cross me without paying the price." Cato pulls out his machete and raises it in the air. "Goodbye." He chops the hyena in half.

In the control room, Seneca turns to the assistant and says, "What the hell is wrong with this kid?"

"A half hour ago, Cato encountered a hyena with the voice of his little sister, Bethesda," replies the assistant. "He actually called the mutt by his sister's name. This proves that he didn't lose all his memory. Another hyena attacked the Bethesda hyena, and it killed her. He went crazy, and killed it. Since then, he's been killing every living thing he's seen, thinking that everyone is his sister's killer. He's even tried to kill a few of the beings in his hallucinations, without success obviously."

When everyone's attention turned back to the monitor, several people gasped. Cato had knelt down next to the carcass and now he was sinking his teeth into its flesh and ripping it out. He swallowed a chunk and then sunk his teeth into the body again. After a few moments he stood up, apparently satisfied. He pulled the harpoon projectile out of the hyena's side and it reeled back into its launcher. He began to stride across the field and mutter again.

"Just like Titus!" one worker gasped.

"Exactly like Titus," Seneca murmured. "Except this time, we won't eliminate him." He turned to Josef. "This boy is the only reason the Games will not be a complete disaster." Seneca sighed. "Unfortunately, thanks to you, we will either have a raving lunatic or a hysterical amnesiac as a victor. I will deal with you later."

Josef was secretly glad his face couldn't display emotion, because otherwise Seneca would have seen the pure terror he had inside.

* * *

**Hey, guys! I know you must be asking yourselves: where is the Hunger Games fact? This chapter will not have a Hunger Games fact. This is because I have something really cool instead! I am going to hold a little competition. I have an interesting question to ask you guys. Whoever submits the right answer first, wins a really cool prize! Here are the rules:**

**In this chapter, I have introduced a new character: Josef Moreau. He is the ultra-creepy head of the muttation laboratories. His name is very interesting, though. Both his first name and his last name are taken from two different mad scientists, one from history, and one from fiction. If you are the first to guess the name of the historical scientist and tell me the movie of the other mad scientist in the comments, you win the contest! I will give you a clue for each the fist name and the last name. Josef Moreau shares his first name with a deranged doctor who lived during a very dark time in our history, and was known for doing experiments on twin children. Josef Moreau's last name is also the last name of a crazy movie villain who combined animal and human DNA to create monsters from your deepest nightmares.**

**The winner of this contest will have his or her name featured in another story I am creating soon! If the winner has a fan fiction account, I will P.M. The winner. If the winner doesn't have an account, he or she will tell me their name in the comments. Good luck, everybody!**


	10. Chapter 9: The Final Battle

**Hey, guys! This is the last chapter of this story! Ahhhh, I'm so excited! I hope you guys enjoy! Please review to help me critique my next story, entitled, "Caesar Flickerman Presents: Highlights of the Hunger Games"!**

Foxface's P.O.V.

I give up on calling for help. My voice is ragged from the screaming. I decide to try to stand up and walk to the rock pile. I sit up, and then I shakily get onto my left leg. I hop towards the rock pile.

Suddenly the rock pile seems very far away.

Whenever I come to a crack in the ground, I get on my stomach and slide across. One time I got close to falling into the abyss, but somehow my gloves could stick to the cavern wall and I pulled myself up. When I get across, I stand up and continue walking until I get to another crack.

While I travel, I try to remember things about my life. All I remember are two loud, angry voices. They told me bad things. I got a feeling my life wasn't that great. I wondered: do I really want to go home? Going home most certainly meant meeting those evil voices again.

Fifteen minutes later. I finally reach the rock pile. I use the gloves to climb up one of the boulders near the base. The rest of the climb is pretty easy. I reach the top soon. I sit on the top rock and look out over the land. Surrounding the "field" is a forest. Well, the remains of a forest. Cracks ran through the forest floor as well. Most of the trees had fallen over. Maybe there is someone in there that can help me. I contemplate walking there. It is better than sitting here alone. I could find a walking stick in there.

Suddenly, the gash on my leg starts to throb intensely. I pull my knee up to eye-level and wrap my arms around the aching limb. I inspect the wound. Now I see that is _bite mark_. What could have given me it? Maybe one of those beasts. There has to be more than one. I begin to feel dizzy. I let go go of my leg and look up to see a clump of pastel-colored balloons float over me in a baby-blue sky.

Wait a second, why is it so bright? Where are the stars?

I look around me in amazement. It is now midday. Puffy clouds dot the sky. I am sitting on a grassy hilltop. Around me are hundreds of sand bars. They are all separated by gaps of ocean-blue water between them. I don't have any wounds anymore. A cool breeze sweeps by me. I stand up excitedly. I turn around to survey my surroundings. A couple hundred yards away, a battered house sits on a large sand bar. I knew at once that it is my house. I race down the hill and jump from sand bar to sand bar towards my home.

When I reach the door, I grab the handle and turn it. It wouldn't open. I put pressure on the door handle using all my arm strength, but it doesn't budge. I shove my shoulder into the center of the door. It must be stuck. My own family wouldn't lock me out. I knock on the door frantically.

"Hello? Hello?!" I shout frustratedly. "It's me! Your daughter! Why won't you let me in?" No answer. I start to cry. "C'mon, let me in! I miss you!" I kick the door angrily. Then I spot a small stone sitting in the sand near my feet. Without thinking I pick it up and hurl it at a window. It shatters, glass flying everywhere. The temperature drops. It is dark inside the house. I edge closer to the broken window.

When my face is inches away from the jagged hole, thousands of spiders crawl out. Before I can react, they were crawling up my legs. I fall to the ground. More spiders swarm over me. I open my mouth to scream, but the hairy creatures crawl into my mouth. I whip my head towards my house and see that it is moving away from me. I stretch my spider-covered arm towards the house, as if to pull it back towards me. But it keeps pulling away from me.

"No! Wait! Mommy! Daddy! Help! Don't leeeave meeeeee!" I wail. I roll around on the sand bar, kicking my legs, partially to get the spiders off me, partially because I am angry that my family left me here to die. I stop thrashing around and lie still, letting the spiders cover me like a coat. I don't blink when a spider crawls over my eye.

I am still lying there until I hear the voice. It is a deep mutter, dark and hoarse. I turn my head to see a blonde boy walking across the sand bars. He hadn't noticed me.

Finally! I have found another live human! I shakily stand up, less spiders on me now. I run towards my savior. He yells something and raises his right arm. I hear a loud _zip!_ Pain shoots through my side. I look down and see the butt of a small spear sticking out of my side. It was attached to a taut chain leading all the way to the boy. I feel the chain pulling at the spear. I am forced to walk towards the boy because if I don't, the spear will pull out all my intestines. This boy is not my savior. He wants to kill me. He is reeling me in like a fish.

I jump over the streams of water between the sand bars. I wonder how deep it is. It is now night time again. A fat moon lights the landscape.

The boy stares angrily at me. I see now that the chain leads up to a mechanism around his wrist. When I am ten feet away he speaks.

"Did you think you could run from your crime?" he screams, chuckling like a madman. I stay silent. I am a few feet away from him now. He clicks a button on the cuff and the chain stops pulling.

The boy steps toward me. I stare at the ground. Then he kicks my knee. I crumple to the ground and clutch my now-throbbing knee. I scream, but he cuts it short by pressing his boot down on my windpipe.

He raises his blood-covered index finger to his lips. "_Shhh_," he whispers. I nod in agreement. He lifts boot of my neck. I suck in all that wonderful fresh air. He stares at me menacingly. "Did you really think you could get away from me?" he says.

"I have no idea who you are," I say truthfully.

"Oh, you don't remember me, huh? Do you remember _her_?" he screams angrily again.

"Who?" I ask.

"Don't you lie to me," he says scornfully. "Don't deny what you did."

"What did I do?" I stutter.

"You KILLED her!" he cries, sobbing into his hands.

"I didn't kill anybody!" I say defensively.

"You did! Don't DENY me!" he yells, pressing his boot onto my neck again. He takes his face out of his hands and stares at me with pure hate. "How could you kill such a little girl! She was so...so innocent! But you killed her! Killed her for no reason! How easy would it have been to let her live? But you didn't. That's all that matters, and that's why I'm going to kill you."

He takes his foot off my windpipe and presses it against my stomach. Then he yanks the chain. I feel the barbed spearhead in my chest, tangled in my organs, twist around. I grimace in pain. Then with a sharp tug, he pulled the projectile out of the wound, along with a knot of glistening intestines. Then he puts his hand on a sword sheath on his sides, hesitates, then decides against it. He kneels down and drags my body toward the each of the sand bar. Towards the dark-blue water. I try to resist, to tell him no, but I am paralyzed.

When I am at the edge, he stops and looks back. On the ground is a small leather pouch. It must have fallen have fallen out of my pocket while I was being dragged. He walks toward it and picks it up. He keeps it in his hands as he walks back toward me.

"Thanks for the gift," he says, waving the pouch. He stands over me. "And, goodbye." Then he pushes me into the water.

I drop like a rock. This is deeper than I thought. In moments, I hit a stone ledge head-first. My head cracks, and soon, red clouds coming out of my head and chest swirl around me. Far above, I can see the surface of the water.

Strangely, I can hear him laugh. I hear him pace around the sand bar. I hear him wiping off the projectile.

I wonder what was in that pouch. Sadly, I will never know.

I hear him sharpen his sword. I hear him mutter. I hear him practice using the sword.

I can see familiar shapes in the red cloud. The bundle of balloons. My house. The boy.

I hear him unzip the pouch. I hear him laugh. I hear him chew food.

I look farther down into the abyss. How deep is it? What created it?

I hear him cough. I hear him fall to the ground. I hear him gag.

I try again to remember my family. Were they nice? Did I have a sister like the boy?

I don't hear him breathe. I hear a cannon fire.

Within minutes, I hear a loud sound. I clamp my hands over my ears. Then it disappears. Then I hear a voice.

"Congratulations to Gina Finch from District Five, the winner of the 74th Annual Hunger Games!"

Who is Gina? I don't know who that is, but I am still happy for her, whatever she did. What is the Hunger Games?

A hear the loud sound again. A long claw reaches into the dark waters and pulls me up, away from the red clouds. It is the claw of a huge metal bird. It pulls me into its mouth. I cower in fear.

Soon, I am in a metal room. People are cheering, clapping, touching me. I don't know why. I want them to stay away.

I curl up in a ball and cry.

**Hunger Games Fact # 4:**

**Only one Hunger Games arena has been used twice. The 29****th**** Hunger Games took place in a system of caverns located near present-day New Mexico. Many people think of it as the most exciting Hunger Games and was shown frequently on television in Panem.**

**Because of popular demand, the 57****th**** Hunger Games was held in the arena of the 29****th**** Games.**

**Unfortunately, the Hunger Games was a flop because everyone knew the arena too well since they had all been forced to watch it repeatedly back home. They all knew about the secret freshwater lake, as well as the secret stalagmite room where a tribute was impaled last time. **

**Ultimately, this ended up being the longest and most boring Hunger Games on record, lasting **

**3 weeks, 2 days, 3 hours, and 16 minutes. A girl from District 5 won.**


End file.
